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October Reprise

It is late October and copious rainfall, mild temperatures, and a few sunny days have conspired to keep the garden green, glowing, and full of flowers. I expected the garden to be withered with frost by now, an eerily beautiful place of spent flowers, blackened leaves, and winter weeds. I had planned for it, in fact, complete with a melancholy video to document the season’s end. But when I went to record the demise of the garden with my cameras, I couldn’t find enough source material to make my point. Still attached to this idea, my expectations got in the way of my observations and I felt frustrated and stuck. Expecting an end, I found a reprise instead.

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A musical reprise is a repetition of an earlier theme or song with some changes that reflect the development of the narrative line. The October garden certainly is in the middle of its reprise. The end of the season is near; perhaps in days, a hard frost will claim its due. But for the moment, the garden is repeating its performance of roses, zinnias, salvias, and ageratum amongst the autumn theme of goldenrod, asters, and grasses. Plants are tall, blooms are colorful and fresh, and everything is swaying in the gusts of wind that leap up from nowhere, showering the beds with a flurry of colorful leaves. A final flourish that has challenged my expectations and reminded me to pay attention to, and appreciate, the unanticipated beauty that is before me.

Jeanne, glad you liked this. It certainly was a moment of revelation for me – one can always learn . . . Two nights ago, the tree frogs and cicadas had what was probably their last chorus of the season. I will miss sleeping with the window open.

We are in the opposite side of the spectrum of seasons. Spring here going into summer, but our gardens have taken a battering recently with heavy rains and even some hale. But all can be repaired with a little time so this weekend is garden time here.

Judith, I think that is one of the wonderful things about an international community of gardeners. I love seeing “here comes spring” posts from New Zealand and Australia, perhaps a broader version of knowing that as night falls here, dawn is emerging in another part of the world. I had a friend who collected daffodils and often had a recent import from New Zealand blooming in her garden in July along with the daylilies. Enjoy your time in the garden!